Said Dr Chia: "Her parents should have just got a H1N1 vaccination and they'd be safe. They could also practise good hygiene, if they continued to live with her, such as washing their hands thoroughly and wearing masks.

"They're overreacting by moving out, especially when she needs care and attention."

He added that H1N1 is preventable and treatable and should not be treated like Sars.

Only those aged 65 years and above, children under 5, pregnant women, and adults and children with underlying medical problems such as asthma and diabetes, face a higher risk of developing complications from H1N1.

Laura said her parents do not have existing health problems.

But she understands how her parents feel.

"At their age," said Laura over the phone. "I can understand that they're more anxious about their health.

"They could have gotten vaccinated, but they were afraid after reading about the side effects in the media."

As of 22 Nov, the Health Sciences Authority's Vigilance Branch, which monitors vaccine safety on the national level, received 27 adverse event reports suspected to be associated with the use of a H1N1 vaccine not manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline.

Of the 27 people in Singapore who came down with adverse reactions after being vaccinated, most have recovered.

The reactions included minor anticipated side effects such as fever, rashes, flu-like symptoms, headaches, nausea and vomiting.

"These reactions are commonly expected from all flu vaccines and most of these reactions are resolved within a few days," the HSA spokesman had said.

Daily monitoring

Laura takes her temperature daily with a thermometer that her school issued earlier this year, when the H1N1 virus broke out in Mexico.

She also has two boxes of surgical masks in case she needs to visit a pandemic-preparedness clinic if her fever worsens.

She refuses to leave home as she does not want to spread her illness.

"Keeping myself busy is not a problem as the medicine makes me drowsy so I'm asleep for half the day," said Laura, who spends the rest of her time watching TV and surfing the Internet, or chatting online with friends.

Her friends have offered to take food to her, but she does not want to bother them.

She said: "I don't even have a good appetite because of the medicine I'm taking.